Share this:

Like this:

14 Comments

MattS. I knew someone would jump on my hot hand comment and should have followed my own rule of ‘be specific’. What I meant by hot hand was not the batting but his work behind the plate. Is it just coincidence that the pitchers pitch better with Cervelli catching? And win. Cervelli is a calm and confidendent influence. Posada is not – he is jittery and rush rush. And stubborn to a fault.

He returned from DL to realize altho his bat was missed his catching was not. Cervelli and Molina did a credible job. Cash was awful. Anyhow, any older, competitive player would have to notice and he may be pressing too hard to prove he is still the best behind the plate. Over the years, there have been hints that certain pitchers did not like to pitch to him. And as he gets older, that will continue. Mussina won 20 games last year NOT pitching to Posada.

Just have an open mind on the subject. If it takes another catcher who the pitchers have confidence in to win — winning is what it is all about, isn’t it.

Cashman said, “the pitchers might be less aggressive at home, fearing that their fastballs will land in the seats”. If this is the case, isn’t it Cashman’s job to get rid of these losers for guys that will get the job done?
This doesn’t seem to bother the opposing teams’ pitchers when they come to town.

Matt,
I usually agree with you but, I’m torn on the Cervelli issue. As you know, babseball now a days is played on percentages. Since this is the case, if the Yankees are winning a higher percentage of games w/ Cervelli behind the dish, you have to go w/ the guy & DH Posada so you don’t miss his offense.

Any of you who think Wang’s stress level will go down after the birth of his kid must not have any. Babies wake up & need to be fed every 2 hours. If anything, his stress is going to go through the roof. Good luck Wanger.

Let’s face it. You can’t win w/o good pitching. So doesn’t it make sense to play the catcher whom the pitchers like, but also helps them pitch better. How do you explain the win-loss record before and after Posada’s time on the DL

If the bat boy could catch and make the pitchers happy I would go w/him. You need to go w/the hot hand and that hot hand is Cervelli.

SO THAT’S WHAT IT WAS!!!!!!! Wang probably was thinking about being a dad all these months.. maybe now that his wife gave birth then he can start mowing down opposing batters
it’s interesting to note that Chien-Ming and his wife gave their baby a Western name – JJ Wang! (is he a righty or a lefty?)

Well, congratulations! In any case, to move forward and regain his past form, he will surely thank some good guidance from the Yankees´catchers. So, find below an interesting article (New York Times) about Yankees´ catching…

—————–

NEW YORK TIMES
Catchers May Have Hand in Yanks’ Pitching Problems
By TYLER KEPNER

Since Alex Rodriguez came off the disabled list on May 8, the Yankees have the best record in the major leagues at 23-12. Rodriguez has been a reason, largely for how he has sparked Mark Teixeira, the team’s best player this season. But like most teams, the Yankees depend mainly on their pitching.

“It’s great to have Alex back,” Derek Jeter said a week ago, “but I don’t care who you have in your lineup, if you don’t pitch, you don’t win.”

The last week has borne that out. The Yankees have had one quality start by a pitcher — at least six innings, no more than three earned runs — in their last six games, by A. J. Burnett on Sunday against the Mets. It would have been their only victory in that stretch if not for a dropped pop-up on Friday.

On the whole, the Yankees have lived dangerously. Their staff earned run average is 4.84. Only three teams have a higher E.R.A., and they all started Monday in last place in their divisions: the Cleveland Indians, the Baltimore Orioles and the Washington Nationals.

General Manager Brian Cashman understands this, and that was why he dismissed a question about closer Mariano Rivera on Sunday. Yes, Cashman acknowledged, Rivera has struggled in non-save situations. But his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a stellar 10.67, better than any season of his career except 2008, and other problems are more pressing.
“He’s the least of our concerns,” Cashman said. “Our biggest concern is our rotation, aside of C. C. Everybody else is scuffling. If we don’t get that consistent, the rest of it won’t make any difference.”

The bullpen, so shaky early on, is quietly coming together. Alfredo Aceves, Phil Coke and Dave Robertson have a combined 1.56 E.R.A. this month, with more strikeouts than innings pitched. Brian Bruney is expected to return from the disabled list Tuesday against the Nationals.

C. C. Sabathia has thrived lately, but walks have infected the rest of the rotation, possibly because of the way the ball travels at Yankee Stadium.

Through Sunday, Yankees pitchers were tied for 17th in the majors in walks on the road. But in home games, they ranked second. Cashman said the pitchers might be less aggressive at home, fearing that their fastballs will land in the seats.

“We’re better than this,” he said. “It’s a concern. We definitely have a brush fire of control going through this staff. It’s a problem, no doubt. We’ve got a strikeout staff that should trust their stuff more than they do.”

One unsettling fact for the Yankees is the difference when Jorge Posada catches. With Posada behind the plate, the Yankees’ pitchers have a 6.31 E.R.A. The combined E.R.A. with Francisco Cervelli, Jose Molina and Kevin Cash is 3.81.

Posada has caught four starts by Chien-Ming Wang, whose job status is now evaluated on a game-by-game basis. Even removing those starts, the staff’s E.R.A. with Posada is still high, at 5.47.

Posada, 37, has handled many exceptional pitchers in his career. Although some, like Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina, have preferred other catchers, Posada does not have to apologize for his résumé. Posada takes his job seriously and is an emotional engine of the team.
Yet Burnett, in particular, seems to struggle with him. In Burnett’s four starts pitching to Posada, opponents have batted .330. In nine starts with the other catchers, the average is .223.

When he lost a six-run lead in Boston in April, Burnett questioned the pitch selection, though he blamed himself, not Posada. Asked Sunday about the difference in pitching to the rookie Cervelli, Burnett gave a careful but revealing answer.

“I think it’s just a matter of — I don’t know if it’s the catcher — but we threw curveballs in fastball counts, we had them looking for something and they had no idea what was coming, I don’t think,” Burnett said. “That’s huge.”

Manager Joe Girardi has started Cervelli once in each of the five series since Posada came off the disabled list May 29. But Posada remains an elite hitter, and there is substantial value in having his bat in the lineup. Only Teixeira has a better slugging percentage than Posada’s .568.

“Jorge is obviously that rare combination of being a catcher and an offensive player,” Cashman said Monday. “Cervelli and Molina are more one-sided, to the defensive side. I can’t really say why there’s a difference. It could be sample size. It could be that the other guys are just better defensive players.”
Girardi is the one who must match the catchers to the pitchers and make the juggling work. The fate of the pitching staff and, by extension, the season, might depend on it.

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.